1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device provided with a speaker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic devices are provided with a speaker. For example, a notebook personal computer (hereafter referred to as a note PC), which is formed by a main unit provided with a keyboard on a top surface thereof and a display unit connected to the main unit so as to be opened and closed, commonly has a speaker on a front end surface of the main unit.
Such a speaker should be preferably small due to the demand for a small and light note PC. When the speaker is installed in a note PC, it is covered with a hard rubber or the like except for a vibrating surface thereof in order to stabilize the posture of the speaker and the hard rubber is installed in the cabinet of the note PC.
Here, it should be noted that a note PC is equipped with multiple electronic parts including the one like a hard disk drive (HDD) that is likely to malfunction caused by mechanic vibration.
When a speaker emits a sound at high volume level, the speaker vibrates. The vibration is transmitted to the cabinet of the note PC, which generates a grating chattering sound, and eventually exerts adverse influence on an electronic part vulnerable to mechanic vibration.
In order to prevent generation of chattering sound and adverse influence on the electronic part, it is devised to improve rigidity of the cabinet and dispose an electronic part away from the speaker. However, significant improvement of the cabinet may be contrary to the demand for downsizing of the electronic device. In addition, there is a limit to dispose the electronic part away from the speaker because the electronic device is equipped with various electronic parts.
Meanwhile, it is also conceivable to cover the speaker with a soft rubber, instead of a hard rubber, for absorbing vibration. In this case, the speaker may not be stabilized in the cabinet and thus the posture of the speaker in the cabinet may be varied for each product.
Japanese patent application publication Nos. 53-92123 and H08-33077 disclose techniques for suppressing transmission of vibration generated by a speaker. However, the techniques do not cope with keeping a posture of the speaker as well as suppressing transmission of vibration by a simple configuration, and are difficult to be applied to a small built-in speaker of an electronic device.
In addition, Japanese patent application publication Nos. H07-106775 and 2002-2380008 disclose techniques to prevent influence of vibration on the HDD.
Although preventing influence of vibration on the HDD is also important, it should be prioritized to suppress transmission of vibration in the speaker that generates vibration.